Fiasco

Who? Jonathan Edelstein (guitar/vocals), Julian Bennett Holmes (drums) and Lucien Buscemi (bass/vocals/son of Steve) were just 12 years old when they initially formed then StunGun, in between snack time and drum class at a Park Slope band camp. Now 16, and calling themselves Fiasco, the garage punk trio have played New York’s CBGB’s, Cake Shop and Studio B.

What’s the Deal?God Loves Fiasco, a 23-song debut on the band’s own Beautiful imprint, is a startlingly good way to get your teenage kicks. The incendiary guitar work, drum thrashing and perceptive lyrics — including subject matter as diverse as unrequited love for a lesbian titled “Disappointment,” and the slinky instrumental “Shot in My Sleep,” which was inspired by Buscemi’s nightmare vision of Zakk Wylde with a semi-automatic — echoes everyone from a hormone-drenched Sonic Youth to a youthful-sounding Slint. Standout “Nothing to Lose,” trods on classic indie rock aesthetic a la Pavement, as the disaffected chorus repeats “Nothing to lose/Nothing to gain,” proving that punk rock and teenage boys go together like PB & J.

Fun Fact: While the trio may be the only adolescents to play CBGB’s, they aren’t the only ones causing a fiasco. Another NYC-based band with the same name was mistakenly booked for a show at the Crash Mansion after a promoter slotted the teens. Spectators anticipating a manic Minutemen-esque set from the precocious punksters were instead treated to fare that sounded more like Duran Duran.

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